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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26910856">Fairly Odd</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/leominoris/pseuds/leominoris'>leominoris</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Magic, Drinking, Established Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Fae &amp; Fairies, M/M, Multi, Pre-Poly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:15:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,376</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26910856</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/leominoris/pseuds/leominoris</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The bell over the shop door jingles softly when Jeno pushes the door open. He's never seen this place from the inside, only ever in passing and it feels weird that the first time he'd enter it is half-drunk off his ass in his clothes from last night. </p><p>Still, here he is.</p><p>—</p><p>Three AM adventures and where this one leads Lee Jeno.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>93</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Challenge #2 — tricks; treats; and terrors</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fairly Odd</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm not really sure this is in the spirit of Halloween but I will never not take an opportunity to write weird little magic shops with equally weird employees.<br/><br/>A big thank you to the mods for all of their hard work and for giving me a space to do just that and to all of my friends who read over this fic and reassured me this is not just bad writing!</p><p>( <a href="http://twitter.com/lovecherriemoji">Twitter</a> / <a href="http://curiouscat.qa/lovecherriemotion">Curiouscat</a> )</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The bell over the shop door jingles softly when Jeno pushes the door open. He's never seen this place from the inside, only ever in passing and it feels weird that the first time he'd enter it is half-drunk off his ass in his clothes from last night. Still, here he is.</p><p>Most of the room is bathed in warm, flickering light that reminds him a little of candles. He can't find the source but at three AM he can't get himself to care, not when all of it feels like half of a fever dream he'll forget upon waking up anyway. The aisles are a little crooked and the shelves a little overstuffed (Doyoung, the manager of the convenience store Jeno helps out at on the weekends, would probably have an aneurysm) and half of their contents look like things that shouldn't really exist – vials filled with clear liquids in colours that shift with every blink, various little boxes with cute packaging advertising anything from herbs to pulverized dragon scales.</p><p>"I always thought it such a pity," a soft voice pitches in from nearby. Jeno feels his heart lurch in his chest and the air in his lungs get painfully stuck for a second but other than that, his tired body barely reacts. Good thing, probably;, the little shop is so cramped, there's no way his uncoordinated limbs wouldn't have knocked something over. With his luck, it'd probably be something fragile too.</p><p>When he looks over he finds himself staring into the face of a young man with cherry blossom pink hair and a pair of dark eyes that feel like they could pierce steel. He's both a little unnerving and uncannily beautiful and Jeno's tipsy brain takes a few attempts to decipher his name tag — Injun, he thinks it reads. Three in the morning isn't the time for Hanja.</p><p>"W-what is a pity?" Jeno asks lamely, not sure what else to do. Cherry blossom boy smiles enigmatically and nods towards the cereal box Jeno had been studying.<br/>
"Pulverized dragon scales. They're much prettier when you leave them whole. Their glow gets lost when you mash them to bits."<br/>
"Ah. Of course." Nodding along sagely Jeno wonders if it's obvious that he hasn't ever seen a dragon scale in life. Or that he didn't really think dragons existed until just now. He's not even sure this man's words are trustworthy but there's an earnest touch to them, it's hard not to want to agree.</p><p>"You don't need those, though," Injun carries on confidently.<br/>
"I don't?" Jeno tilts his head to the side.<br/>
"They don't do much for hangovers." With an unreadable smile the shop clerk disappears between the shelves only to return with a vial of a clear, unnaturally lime-green liquid. It looks like anything Jeno would've ever considered a classic witch brew — again, not that he <em> knew </em> . He hadn't thought witches existed outside of fairy tales at all.<br/>
"This one's bitter but it'll get you back onto your feet just in time."</p><p>There's never a question about <em> what </em> time exactly Injun is talking about, Jeno just nods obediently and accepts the vial, clumsy fingers carefully wrapping around the glass.&lt;<br/>
"How much do I owe you?"<br/>
Once again, Injun smiles like he knows something Jeno doesn't. <br/>
"This isn't how this works, Lee Jeno. It's okay, take the draught. You'll know what to do when the time comes."</p><p>Jeno only remembers that he never shared his name when his head hits his pillow, right before sleep crashes over him like the incoming tide.</p><p> </p><p>✨ 🌸 🐶 ⚡️ ✨</p><p> </p><p>Friday finds him at the shop again, this time sober and at four in the afternoon. Jeno's brain feels a little woozy after a long double lecture on the history of East Asian journalism but it's still a considerable step up from two bottles of soju over his limit. The boy behind the counter — a counter he hadn't even really registered last time — is different today, a gangly boy in what must be his late teens with a nervous smile that looks a little like he wasn't anticipating anyone coming in</p><p>"Hi," Jeno greets quietly and steps closer. In the pocket of his jacket, his fingers curl around the glass vial Injun gave him along for the way, now empty save for a thin layer of lime green he couldn't seem to finish up.<br/>
"I'm… I'm looking for Injun?"<br/>
The boy quizzically quirks his eyebrows for a moment before recognition flashes across his features and Jeno marvels at how easy his expression reads.<br/>
"Oh! You must mean Renjun!" The boy's voice falters. "He's not in today, sorry. As a matter of fact, today's his day off. He'll get very cross with me if I bother him."<br/>
Jeno inhales slowly.<br/>
"I– that's okay, please don't worry about it, it's just… he gave me–"<br/>
It takes an embarrassing amount of fiddling for him to produce the little glass vial from his pocket.<br/>
"I was here last Saturday. He gave me this and told me I didn't have to pay. I had… a few questions about that."<br/>
Today's shop clerk (Jisung, his name tag tells Jeno, thankfully spelt in Hangul) puffs up his cheeks in a way that makes him look a little like a worried squirrel and squints at the vial as if looking for a label.</p><p>"Sounds like our Injunnie, not telling customers about shop rules," a voice behind him drawls and this time Jeno <em> does </em> almost crash into a shelf. All that keeps him from it is one of Jisung's big hands wrapping around his upper arm.<br/>
"Hyung!" The teen complains and Jeno catches a glimpse of a far too sharp smile with what feels like too many teeth. Before him, blocking his view of the entrance stands a man around his height with long limbs and features that look too big for his small face. He's beautiful in a strange way that confuses Jeno, different from soft-faced Injun ( <em> Renjun? </em>) with his plush lips and gently sloping nose.</p><p>"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," the second shop clerk chirps. He doesn't sound particularly sorry at all but Jeno makes the calculated choice not to mention that.<br/>
"All we need is your name." <br/>
Once again Jeno feels the sudden shudder of realization. <br/>
"In– uh. Renjun. Renjun knew my name. When he gave me the–"<br/>
The strange shop clerk (this one's Jaemin, written with big, round letters and a little love heart hovering over the i) arches an eyebrow as if waiting for Jeno to finish the sentence up on his own. When he doesn't, he sighs and steps closer. He's around the same height as Jeno, the motion shouldn't feel as intimidating as it does and still Jeno finds himself backing into the counter. Behind him, Jisung goes on about his work for the day as if none of this is really fazing him.<br/>
Come to think of it, maybe this is the standard protocol here. Who knows.</p><p>"The potion? Which one was it? Can you describe the colour?"<br/>
Jaemin reaches around Jeno and when he does it feels like rather than exuding human warmth, the air around him fills with static.<br/>
"G-green," Jeno mutters, his eyes not leaving Jaemin's face as he too examines the little vial.<br/>
"Ah, right, the hangover draught," he hums to no one in particular, momentarily distracted. When his eyes fixate on Jeno's again they look a little like they're filled with sparks, blinding but fleeting.</p><p>"He said my name when he gave me the… potion? Even though I didn't tell him."<br/>
Jaemin waves him off with a coy smile.<br/>
"Legalities. The name that's on your documents doesn't matter much. Maybe he saw you at university or something. You <em> are </em> a student, right?"<br/>
And he's right. Jeno is. And thinking back now he might even remember a flash of cherry blossom pink just at the edge of his field of vision, a piercing, earnest pair of warm, brown eyes.<br/>
"Oh. Yeah. Maybe."</p><p>Jaemin's smile is wide and filled with what feels like too many angles. From close up, his teeth look like they've been filed to sharp points. Jeno wonders if eating doesn't get tricky like that.<br/>
"Okay, but what we need if you'd like to start working here is your <em> real </em> name."<br/>
Jeno startles.<br/>
"I don't want to work here! I just wanted to… return the… the <em> thing </em> … and ask about repayment?"<br/>
"Did the draught work? Because if it didn't you don't have to repay us anyway." Jisung pipes up from behind him and Jeno swears he nearly has a heart attack.<br/>
"It did," he replies dutifully over his shoulder. The statement puzzles him. It doesn't sound very economically sustainable.<br/>
Jisung shrugs and gives him an apologetic smile.<br/>
"Yeah, then your name it is."</p><p>"I work on the weekends, though," Jeno protests gently. "And I can't do workdays, I can barely handle classes as is!"<br/>
Jaemin takes a step away from him, his face pulled into a pondering expression between a pout and a pufferfish impersonation.<br/>
"Well, that complicates things a little."<br/>
"I wouldn't have taken the <em> thing </em> –"<br/>
"Potion, draught, whatever, you can say it," Jisung mutters behind him.<br/>
"I wouldn't have taken it so carelessly had I known!"</p><p>Jeno tries to ignore how every passing second in this store only brings up more questions than answers.<br/>
"Hm. Well, we'll think of something." Jaemin waves him off. Once again, the question of economic efficiency comes up at the back of Jeno's mind but amidst too pointy teeth and potions that magically cure hangovers, it might be the least of his concerns anyway.<br/>
"Huh?"<br/>
"You've had a long day, right? Come back tomorrow at six. We'll find a solution."<br/>
And with that, Jaemin seems to consider the conversation a closed case. He brushes past Jeno, a faint crackle of static trailing in his wake and disappears into the back room behind the counter, leaving Jisung to awkwardly see their frazzled customer out.</p><p> </p><p>✨ 🌸 🐶 ⚡️ ✨</p><p> </p><p>"I brought Injunnie," Jaemin exclaims in lieu of a greeting. And true to his word, he does bring Renjun along, though Jeno didn't anticipate seeing them like this, Jaemin's long, slender arms looped around Renjun's narrow shoulders. The other seems fairly unfazed by it. If anything, he looks more bothered by his limited mobility than the strange, unspoken intimacy of the gesture that could imply all sorts of things Jeno has always been taught have no justification to exist in a public space.</p><p>"G-great," he replies, his cheeks flushing.<br/>
Renjun raises a hand in a wave and although his expression is still a little pained his smile looks honest.<br/>
"Nice to see you again. Told you you'd come back when the time comes."<br/>
It sounds a little like praise, an affirmation that Jeno did his job well. Jeno feels the pleasure of it drip down his spine and fill his chest like glossy, syrupy honey.<br/>
"Oh, Injunnie, he likes being told he did well," Jaemin coos and if Jeno's cheeks weren't already warm he'd probably blush all over again.</p><p>"It's– I just– I don't want to owe you and not know how to go on about paying my dues…"<br/>
"So diligent," Jaemin hums and once again Jeno feels himself perk up a little, straightening out his shoulders as if pride alone could vanquish his horrible posture.<br/>
"It's okay," Renjun assures him with a warm laugh. It reminds Jeno a little of the jingle over the shop door and of summer sunlight breaking through the clouds above.<br/>
"You looked so unfazed when you got in, I thought you knew the drill and were just…" Renjun shrugs.<br/>
"Drunk?" The way Jeno offers the suggestion is deadpan and for a moment he worries that he'll sound rude but then Renjun is giggling and leaning into Jaemin and Jaemin's eyes crinkle up as his laugh exposes his pointy teeth all over again and Jeno can't help but smile too.<br/>
"Yeah, drunk," Renjun confirms.</p><p>"I've never seen a shop quite like this one," Jeno admits instead, nodding up at the sign at the door reading <em> Dream Shop Of Requirements </em> .<br/>
"Oh, they're really common." Jaemin's tone is so matter of fact that it makes Jeno start thinking about every little weird corner store he's seen in the city.<br/>
"They are?"<br/>
Renjun nods.<br/>
"The Fair Folk prefer dealing in favours over money."<br/>
"And names," Jaemin adds with a fondness that reminds Jeno of the one his best friend Chenle reserves for his favourite brand of fried chicken.</p><p>"I've never seen another shop of requirements," Jeno brings up tentatively. He's still busy trying to process the words <em> Fair Folk </em> . He wants to call Jaemin and Renjun crazy because that's easy. But between lime green hangover potions and Jaemin's blasted teeth it doesn't feel like quite as much of a stretch anymore.<br/>
"I'm going crazy," he adds grimly.<br/>
Jaemin grins.<br/>
"It's okay, take your time. I think we're all a little mad here."<br/>
Renjun slaps his wrist, eliciting a yelp. Jaemin doesn't let go.</p><p>"You might not have seen a shop because you've never required anything from one before."<br/>
"I've come past here plenty of times drunk off my ass," Jeno argues, mind reeling for what exactly was different about that evening, then.<br/>
"Then the hangover wasn't the real reason you needed us," Jaemin deduces with an easy shrug.<br/>
"We'll figure out what it was instead," Renjun assures him with a crooked smile. Jeno wishes he could give them both clearer answers. Hell, he wishes <em> he </em> could get a few answers too.</p><p>"No giving names involved?" Jeno asks instead, just to be sure. Renjun laughs.<br/>
"No names. Promise."<br/>
"You can trust us," Jaemin adds conversationally, finally unlatching from Renjun to stretch his arms overhead. "We Fair Folk can't lie."<br/>
He leans over to Jeno and his smile still looks a little too wide for comfort.<br/>
"Not that I'd want to lie to a pretty thing like you anyway."</p><p>"Welcome to the <em> Dream Shop Of Requirements </em> ," Renjun hums and turns around, throwing a blithe smile at Jeno over his shoulder.<br/>
"Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"<br/>
"I made mooncakes," Jaemin supplies proudly.<br/>
"Jaemin made mooncakes," Renjun echoes.</p><p>And who would Lee Jeno be if he declined such a polite invitation?</p>
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